Review Summary: Hammer Bros. end their career with an EP that is arguably the heaviest of their 7 year career.
Hammer Bros. was the best hardcore band you've never heard of. The band came out of a scene known as the Merrimack Valley (MVHC to those from the Boston area) that spawned more popular hardcore bands such as Have Heart, Guns Up!, and The Carrier. Hammer Bros. played a fast, pissed off blend of hardcore and thrash metal similar to hardcore legends Integrity and Ringworm. They released 3 full lengths as well as a few EPs and 7 inches throughout their 7 year run. The band was lead by vocalist Jim "Death" Domenici who is also known in Boston as vocalist/guitarist of the Pop-Punk outfit The Fake Boys
"Sleep Forever" is the final release from the Hammer Bros. and quite possibly the most pissed and intense release of their career. The EP starts off with a bang on the first track "All I Have is Lowell." This unrelenting track is lead by frantic drumming and Domenici's instantly recognizable vocals and ends with a brutally slow breakdown not meant for spin kicks, but for complete and utter chaos. The second track "New Found Ends" is the shortest on the album and has more of an old school hardcore rhythm to it than the rest of the tracks. The third track "Feed Them" is probably the slowest track on the album, but makes up for its pace with unrelenting heaviness throughout as it is the longest track. The fourth track "Brackish" is the most metal influenced track on the album and packs a hell of a punch. The last song on this release title track "Sleep Forever" is one of the most unrelenting hardcore tracks I have ever heard. The track starts off with a menacing bassline and gives way to a crushingly slow and heavy breakdown once the guitars come in. The rest of the track continues at breakneck speeds with urgent vocals until the last 50 seconds of the song when the track slows down giving way to a two-step during which the following lyrics are yelled:
"Every man bears a cross not shown,
every woman has the will to let go.
It’s the lies sleeping tight in our beds,
it’s the comfort that shot us dead."
This EP is a very fitting ending to one of hardcore's most unrelenting and underrated bands.
R.I.P. Hammer Bros. 2003-2010
